A Summer With You
by Hydra no Mago
Summary: "You gave me a hand that day." Natsume recalls someone who helped him during his childhood, but has a hard time placing out who he is and what he does. He isn't sure if it was a human. And what if, that person turns out to be someone he dislikes? MatobaXNatsume. Rating may go up.
1. Prologue : A hand

Prologue – A hand

A hand.

There is a hand stretching out.

It stretches out, inviting.

Inviting the young boy who is sitting on the ground.

With small fingers, the boy hesitantly touches the hand, hoping that it does not bite.

The hand feels so warm.


	2. Chapter 1 : Dream

Chapter 1 – Dream

Tears dropped down steadily like rain. Big drops, small drops. They dripped onto the hard ground below, wetting it and turning it into a darker shade. When the sun shone at the right angle, sunlight pierced through the teardrops, making them look like pure water droplets. A sad yet beautiful sight.

Those beautiful tears came from a boy. He had a mop of sandy-coloured hair and pale skin. The thing about him that was off were the bruises. There were black and blue marks all over his arms and legs. His knees and elbows were scraped. His hair was messy and had mud and sticks in it. One cannot help but wonder what has this child gotten himself into.

Was he bullied? Was he running away from home? Was he lost? Were he and his family attacked? Was he pounced on by a wild animal?

The possibilities were many, almost too many.

The boy was still crying, crying with no end. Anyone who set eyes on this poor creature would have pitied it. And anyone who pitied it will most likely do just that, show a look of pity and walk away. No one would want to get involved in a child's mess.

That was the truth.

Reality.

Yet, in every good story, there is a hero. And that hero appeared in front of the crying boy, holding out his hand.

"Ne, why are you crying?"

Opening his eyes to a crack, the boy could see the bleary shadow of a figure loom over him, a small smile playing on the shadow's lips.

The figure held out a hand. "Don't cry anymore."

The boy shook his head. He was told that he shouldn't trust strangers. And he couldn't tell if the one standing before him was a human or one of those weird things that only he seemed to see.

The figure before him was not discouraged. "Come on." The voice was soft and encouraging. "I promise I won't hurt you."

Looking up to the figure with tear-stained cheeks and bleary eyes, the boy could see the stranger's face soften. Trailing his eyes down to the stranger's hand, the young boy took it eagerly, glad that he was not alone.

~.~.~.~

Golden eyes opened slowly and groggily. Sunlight flooded in through a crack in the aqua curtains, rousing the teen from his sleep.

Natsume rolled on his side and came to face Nyanko-sensei's fluffy tail. Still sleepy, he pushed the maneki neko aside, determined to get the cat's butt away from his face. After what seemed like an eternity, he managed to get the maneki neko away from him, freeing his nostrils from the smell of cat fur.

However, the cat was not to be underestimated. Nyanko-sensei kicked with his pudgy feet, aiming for Natsume's face. The fat paws made impact with Natsume's cheek. They pushed and kicked, pushed and kicked.

Growing more aware of all the kicks, Natsume once again rolled over, coming into contact with the bright sunlight. He winced and opened his eyes very slowly, giving them time to adjust to the piercing light.

"_Come on."_

It was that voice. The one he heard in his dream.

"_Come on."_

Natsume pushed himself up on his elbows, facing the curtains with half-lidded eyes. He turned away to avoid the light and found his trusty guardian sleeping with an empty bottle of sake. Smiling to himself, Natsume shook his head.

He got up completely and stretched, waking up his body. Pulling the curtains back, the sunlight flooded in, bathing everything in the soft morning glow.

"_Come on."_

Lately, he has been dreaming about that particular incident a lot. An incident he had experienced while he was very young, about five years old. He can no longer remember most of the details of that incident, can only remember that he had been crying after encountering a scary ayakashi and someone had reached a hand out to help him.

Someone or something.

"_I promise I won't hurt you."_

The figure had kept that promise. After all, Natsume was still alive and kicking.

Yet, something was bugging him, nagging at him from the back of his mind.

Natsume opened the windows and leaned onto the window sill, making his sandy bangs fall forward.

_Who are you?_

* * *

**Arigatou for reading!  
Please favourite and / review if you like this story. If you don't, you can always check out some of my other stories as well. **

**Afterthought: How fat is Nyanko-sensei?**


	3. Chapter 2 : A Plea

Chapter 2 – A plea

"Natsume-sama! Natsume-sama!"

Natsume didn't want to hear it. He was getting tired of helping out so much in one day already. He had returned five names, helped Taki with a cow-like ayakashi(1) and managed to hide Nyanko-sensei away from the girl. His friends had made him play soccer with them during PE and now he couldn't move a muscle.

"Natsume-sama!"

Boy, was this ayakashi persistent.

Natsume put down his mechanical pencil lightly and rubbed his temples. Agh, his school work would never be done at this rate. He had to learn about sequences for mathematics today and get ready for a science presentation tomorrow about ectoplasmas.

The famous (or not so famous) grandson of Natsume Reiko turned around to face the little ayakashi. "How may I help you?"

~.~.~.~

Natsume Takashi. Gransdon to the famous Natsume Reiko who passed away years back. Was constantly bullied and accused by other children and adults.

Why is that so?

Takashi has the ability to see demons, that's why. Just like his grandmother, he has an incredible amount of spiritual energy. He probably even got it from Natsume Reiko herself.

Because of his special powers and could see the monsters, he was passed around his relatives like a baton. One would take care of him for some time and pass him to someone else. They were afraid of this boy. They hated what came out of his mouth, his "stories" of monsters. The children bullied him while the adults shunned him.

However, his life took a turn for the better. He is now living with an old couple in the countryside. The couple doesn't mind having Natsume as their adoptive child and Natsume is more than happy to have a home.

Natsume had always liked adventure books and recently, he found the Book of Friends, ending up in some amazing adventures of his own.

~.~.~.~

And here stood before him another adventure. One that would once again put his life in grave danger.

The little ayakashi who was no bigger than Natsume's palm seemed to nod his head in gratefulness. "Natsume-sama, there is trouble in our forest."

Nyanko-sensei shook his fluffy tail and clicked his tongue. "There's trouble everywhere for you tiny ayakashi!" The fat cat jumped over a pillow and reached the side of the little ayakashi. "Maybe I should just eat you..." There was a devious smirk on the cat's face as he licked his lips, hungry for some meat.

_Whack! _A rolled up book was in Natsume's hand as Nyanko-sensei layed on his side with a huge bump on his head. "Nyanko-sensei" Natsume warned. He didn't want the cat to eat any of these ayakashi.

"Our forest is dying, Natsume-sama!" The little ayakashi continued.

The sandy-haired boy furrowed his brow. "What can I do about that?" There are tons of reasons why a forest can die, and Natsume wasn't sure if it involved ayakashis or humans.

The little ayakashi nodded. "Our diety, Bara(2)-sama, is weakening." The ayakashi held out his hands wide. "Just the other day, some people came and destroyed a huge part of our forest too! They just destroyed our homes without even batting an eye!" With that, the ayakashi seemed to droop.

Natsume could understand and sympathize with the ayakashi's feelings. After all, he knew what it was like to be homeless. The problem remained however, that human beings were involved.

"We're not taking this mission, Natsume." said a certain maneki neko. "Now go buy me some manjuu!~"

"Nyanko-sensei is right. We can't help you." Natsume didn't want to have anything to do with this. He couldn't bring himself to face more humans. "I'm sorry."

The ayakashi was appalled. "Why can't you help, Natsume-sama?" The ayakashi held out his two little hands. "Natsume-sama, please.." It was begging.

Natsume turned his head. True, that he didn't want to be involved with humans, but this ayakashi and thousands of other have lost their homes to these humans.

"Natsume-sama, please!" The ayakashi was on his knees, head bowed low. "Natsume-sama, please save our forest! Natsume-sama!"

From the tone of the small voice, Natsume could tell that the ayakashi was crying.

"Didn't you hear us?" Nyanko-sensei butted his fat head in. "We already said 'No'! Now get outta here before I chomp you to pieces!"

Most would fear for their own life, but this ayakashi just kept on begging. "Natsume-sama, please help us! Please!"

Natsume didn't like this at all. "Ayakashi-san, just go home. I can't help you, I'm sorry."

The ayakashi shook his head, making some of the teardrops drip from its face. "Even if I go back now, I have no home to return to. If I go back now, I will just be awaiting my death with my brothers and sisters!" The ayakashi's little body was shaking like a leaf. "And those exorcists will go unpunished as they destroy more and more of our homes!"

At the word 'exorcists', Nyanko-sensei's ears perked up. Natsume was suddenly much more alert. "What did you say?"

"Which exorcists?!" demanded Nyanko-sensei as he pushed his face closer to the bending figure of the ayakashi.

"The ones with the black yukatas and black haoris!" The ayakashi cried, making his little voice sound squeaky. "The ones who call themselves the Matoba Clan!"

The name sent a shiver down Natsume's spine. The Matoba Clan was once a great exorcist clan like so many others. Just like the others, they have decreased in number and eroded over time, leaving no more than a handful of exorcists left.

The current leader of the Matoba Clan, is in another league of his own. His name is Matoba Seiji and he is as emotionless as a stone. His heart is as cold as ice and so is his piercing gaze. He could not care less for ayakashi and humans alike. If they were useful, then he would keep them. If they were not and acted as obstacles, he would eradicate them without a second thought.

Natsume had crossed paths with the young leader of the Matoba Clan several times before. Each time they met, Natsume would get a queasy feeling from the pit of his stomach. Just looking at Matoba Seiji was enough to chill him to the bone.

"Natsume!" Nyanko-sensei snapped Natsume out from his thoughts. His pudgy paws were on Natsume's leg, shaking him awake.

"Nyanko-sensei, this changes the situation completely, doesn't it?"

The fat cat nodded. "I still think it's a bad idea!" The cat rubbed his stomach. "I won't get to eat my favourite fried ika anytime soon!"

Natsume smiled at Nyanko-sensei's outburst. "Ayakashi-san, let us help you."

* * *

**Notes: **

**(1) Ayakashi : Means 'Demon'  
(2) Bara : Means 'Rose'**

**Thank you, minna-san! I'm sorry for the late update from last week, please forgive me!**

**Don't forget to review! They make my imagination tank produce work faster.**


	4. Chapter 3 : A Camping Trip

Chapter 3 – A camping trip

His breathing was ragged. He panted and panted, sweat dripping down his back, face, arms and legs. His whole body felt wet and sticky as his school uniform clung on to him tightly, his white shirt stuck on his back and the leggings of his pants were making it harder to escape.

_Why does this always happen to me?_

~.~.~.~

"Natsume did you bring everything?!" shouted Nyanko-sensei from the bottom of the stairs. The pudgy cat was already hopping towards the doorway, eager to get out of the house. "The snacks! Don't forget the snacks!"

The sandy-haired boy let out a sigh. "Hai, hai, Nyanko-sensei." Really, the cat was such a pain sometimes. Reaching the bottom of the old wooden stairs, Natsume turned into the kitchen and grabbed a packet of chocolate biscuits and some soda crackers. He needed only light things in his knapsack.

"Ara, you're awake already?" Natsume turned around and came to face Toukou. His expression was like that of a child who got his hand stuck straight down in a cookie jar. "I thought that you would be up later, Takashi-kun." She was still dressed in her nightgown and had a sleepy look on her face. She must've been woken up by the sounds that he and Nyanko-sensei were making. If not why was she up at 5 in the morning? The boy felt sorry for his foster mother.

"M-mm! But I figured that I should get to the bus stop earlier so that my friends wouldn't have to wait long." He was at it again. Yesterday night, he had explained to his foster parents that he planned to go on a camping trip with some city friend whom he has not met for a long while. Lying through his teeth to the people who cared about him. He had to though. He didn't want to see someone as sweet as Toukou-san or Shigeru-san to be pulled into the twisted world of ayakashi.

"Sokka." muttered Toukou under her breath. Then as if remembering something, her sleepy eyes lit up. "Ah! Your bento(1)!" Shrugging off all signs of sleepiness, she ran to the sink and washed her face, frantically setting out her task to make her foster child's bento.

"Toukou-san, it's really alright!" Natsume struggled to get his words through to the woman. "I have biscuits and snacks in my bag. Cash too. So I'll just use them inste-..."

"No, you may not!" The young boy was cut off by Toukou. Still warming up the rice, she focused on talking to Natsume. "You're just a young boy and you need plenty of nutrients to grow! Eating just biscuits will make you terribly unhealthy!"

Resuming her attention on her work, Toukou continued to speak to her foster son. "Takashi-kun, it's okay to be fussed over once in a while!" She placed the warmed rice in a beige coloured bento. "It's what parents do. So sit there and wait for a while."

Natsume couldn't help but smile. He was undeserving of his foster parents' love.

~.~.~.~

Nyanko-sensei jumped onto Natsume's face, almost causing the both of them to topple onto the cold, wet ground. "What took you so long idiot?! I could've freezed to death!"

Grunting with effort, Natsume finally managed to get the cat's pudgy paws out of his face. "Toukou-san was making bentos!"

Almost immediately, the cat stopped struggling in Natsume's arms. "Bentos?" He cocked his head and twitched his ears. "Wah!~ Bentos!~ Bentos!~ Bentos!~" The cat sang to himself in obvious delight.

Natsume smiled at his guardian's antics and set him in his knapsack. "Nyanko-sensei..." huffed Natsume. "You're heavy." The knapsack grew much much heavier after bearing the weight of his fat cat.

"Oi! I'm not that heavy! It's just because your puny and weak body can't take it is all!" retorted Nyanko-sensei who had his head sticking out of the dull green knapsack.

"Just don't ruin the bentos, Nyanko-sensei."

The cat turned its head and clicked its tongue. "Hmph! Oh, ye of lettuce trust!"

"What?"

"From some weird English guy who writes plays! You know, the one play which you were studying for your literature exams!"

"Nyanko-sensei, it's 'Oh, ye of little faith', not what you said just now." Natsume corrected his pet cat with accuracy. "Wait, are you reading my books?"

The cat slammed an angry paw onto Natsume's head. "What? Can't I take a glance?!"

At that moment, Natsume burst into laughter, his voice filling the grey empty streets.

~.~.~.~

"Nyanko-sensei, we're here."

True enough, they had reached the foot of a magnificent mountain. It was a tall mountain with lush greens and mysterious blues at the top. Clouds and mist formed close at the peak, a curtain to prevent by-standers from seeing what was really up there. The name of the mountain was 'Barayama', literally translated into 'Rose Mountain'. Why it was named so, Natsume didn't have the slightest idea.

The cat jumped out of the knapsack, stretching its limbs and shaking his fur. "That was a long ride."

"So long that you finished three manjuus(2), two pieces of dried ika(3) and a bento." said Natsume matter-of-factly.

"I was hungry!" protested the cat.

"You're always hungry."

Just when things were about to turn into an all out war between Natsume and Nyanko-sensei, a light cough interrupted them.

"Natsume-sama, thank you for coming here." On the grass right next to them was the ayakashi from before. It was a weird type of ayakashi when Natsume thought about it. It never showed its face, covering it with a paper. It had a shiny white head and wore a leaf-green robe. He had no idea what type of ayakashi this was.

"Alright, let's get going already!" complained Nyanko-sensei. "I'm starving!"

The ayakashi nodded and bowed. "Yes, right this way please. Watch your step."

Taking one last look of the outside world. There was a house not so far away and next to it was a paddy field. The dirt road stretched far and wide into the distance and migratory birds flew overhead. The clouds in the sky were like thin strips of ribbon.

"Natsume-sama!" called the ayakashi from the woods.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Natsume stepped into the lush greenery, starting his mission.

* * *

**Notes:**

**(1) Bento: ****is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in ****Japanese cuisine****. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with ****pickled ****or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container.**

**(2) Manjuu : is a popular traditional ****Japanese confection****. There are many varieties of manjū, but most have an outside made from ****flour****, ****rice ****powder and buckwheat ****a****nd a filling of **_**an **_**(****red bean paste****), made from boiled azuki beans and sugar.**

**(3) Ika : means Squid.**

**Arigatou for reading minna-san! **

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and follows! I will try my best to churn out more stories.**


	5. Chapter 4 : Hiking and running

Chapter 4 – Hiking and running

"Are we there yet?" whined Nyanko-sensei. The fat cat was resting on Natsume's head, arms and legs sprawled out, belly facing the sky.

Natsume panted with effort. The hike up Barayama was a long and steep one. The mountain was high with lush greenery everywhere. One could get lost if one did not know the place well. They had been hiking up the mountain for well over an hour now and Natsume felt that he was going to collapse if they did not reach their destination soon.

The little ayakashi however, seemed unaffected by the difficult hike. Unperturbed even. "Just some ways more, Natsume-sama!" The ayakashi skipped over a fallen tree.

All Natsume could do was nod at the little ayakashi's words.

~.~.~.~

He could not believe what he saw. Yes, the ayakashi had told him that a certain exorcist clan was destroying their homes, but he never imagined the scene to look this bad.

It was almost a barren land. Trees were fallen, the once green grass had turned yellow, the flowers that used to litter the path up the mountain were gone, live animals were nowhere to be found. He found some bones of rabbits and birds though.

All these things, this destruction, was caused by one man.

_Matoba Seiji. _

Natsume could feel the anger boil in the pit of his stomach, his heart pitied the animals and ayakashi who lived here. The boy clenched his fists and seethed silently in anger.

He was going to make Matoba realize his mistakes. He was going to make Matoba acknowledge what a terrible thing he has done. He was going to make Matoba understand what it feels like to be left without a home.

"Oi! Natsume!" Nyanko-sensei's voice rang in his ear, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Get a hold of yourself, Natsume!" The cat was hitting Natsume on the head, trying to wake the boy up.

"Ow! Ow!" Natsume tried to shield himself from the rain of blows coming down upon him. A rain of pudgy cat paws. "I get it! I get it!" He pried the cat away from his shoulder and set it on the ground. Nyanko-sensei sure could hit hard.

"Natsume-sama" called a voice. The little ayakashi was pointing at something. "Bara-sama is right there."

Natsume felt nervous, honestly. He had met with so many ayakashi before, fought them, befriended them, returned their names, helped them, even partied with them. But he would always get this feeling in his stomach whenever he was about to meet with some really important ayakashi.

The three moved towards the direction where the little ayakashi pointed a while ago. As they got closer, Natsume could faintly make out the shape of a shrine.

He was right. The shrine was moderate, about as tall as a full grown man and as wide as a broomstick. Offerings had been placed under a stone which had the words 'Bara' on it. The boy noticed that most of the offerings were covered in a thin layer of dust, a tell-tale sign that no one came by recently. The ceiling of the shrine was also full of cobwebs, each having its own spider.

The little ayakashi knelt in front of the stone. "Bara-sama! I have brought you Natsume-sama and his guardian!"

A gust of wind whooshed past them, scattering the yellow leaves around them. Natsume was quite fascinated. Standing before him was what he assumed was Bara-sama. The deity was beautiful. Dressed in a light kimono with patterns of roses and a simple hakama to go along with it, Natsume could tell that this deity was no minor. He carried himself in a way which made others listen to him. Bara-sama had flowing white hair with golden strands and a pale face which framed kind, startling blue eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Natsume-sama." Bara-sama bowed lowly.

Natsume could not help but blush slightly. "I-I..It's a pleasure to meet you too, Bara-sama!" Natsume returned the deity's bow.

Said deity got up and smiled warmly at Natsume. Everything about Bara-sama screamed elegance. The way he talked, the way he moved. Everything. "I believe you have heard of our unfortunate situation?"

"Yes." answered Natsume firmly. Yes, he wanted to stop it.

Bara-sama cast his eyes downward. "I see. I thank you very much for helping us. But Natsume-sama,..."

"Yes?" It was strange for someone like Bara-sama to hesitate.

"Will you not regret your decision?" He lifted his bright blue eyes to face Natsume's brown-yellowish ones. "It is extremely dangerous."

So that was it. Natsume gave the deity a warm smile of his own. "Thank you for your concern, Bara-sama. But we shall be fine."

This seemed to settle well with the deity. "Very well then. I wish you luck in your journey, Natsume-sama." And with a last smile, Bara-sama vanished into thin air.

~.~.~.~

"I'm sorry, Natsume-sama. Bara-sama has been feeling unwell lately, so he cannot maintain an audience with you." said the little ayakashi apologetically.

"No worries. I understand."

"But for a deity like him to be so powerless..." grumbled Nyanko-sensei. "Even gods have to face their time."

The ayakashi said nothing and nodded.

"Well, let's go hunt some exorcists!" exclaimed the cat. "We can go buy some ika and sake later!~"

Natsume sighed at his cat's antics.

~.~.~.~

His breathing was ragged. He panted and panted, sweat dripping down his back, face, arms and legs. His whole body felt wet and sticky as his school uniform clung on to him tightly, his white shirt stuck on his back and the leggings of his pants were making it harder to escape.

___Why does this always happen to me?_

Natsume willed his legs to run faster away from the ayakashi that was chasing after him. With three heads and long tentacles, it was another weird type of ayakashi who wanted to eat him up. What was weirder was he got separated from his fluffy cat guardian and little ayakashi somewhere along the way.

He spotted a huge log not far away from where he was. There!

As he ran towards the fallen tree, a slimy tentacle grabbed him from behind, making him airborne.

_"I caught it! I caught it! Food for me!"_

Natsume shouted and tried to get out of the slimy hold, but the ayakashi's grip was too strong for him. He could see himself get closer and closer to wards the ayakashi's mouth. "Let go!" he shouted in a last attempt.

The ayakashi paid him no heed. After all, Natsume was just food to him and his hungry gut.

Natsume could feel and smell the creature's putrid breath now. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline and fear. _No! I can't die now! Not now!_

He was so close...

_Help! Someone, please help me!_

Just as he was going to be the ayakashi's lunch, a bright blue light shot through its chest. Before the ayakashi could register what happened, it turned into nothing more but a pile of ashes. And Natsume was suddenly falling.

The boy wanted to grab hold of something, anything, to keep himself from hitting the hard ground but all his efforts were in vain. He kept his eyes shut, braced for impact and some broken bones.

But they never came.

Instead, he found himself land in someone's arms. They were strong and held on to Natsume tightly, not letting him go lest he fall to the ground for real.

"Hmph. Useless creatures."

Natsume froze. He knew that voice. He knew that voice all too well. Opening his eyes, Natsume came face to face with the person he did not want to see the most.

"Matoba..."

The dark-haired man smirked at him wickedly. "We meet again, Natsume."

The boy broke out in a cold sweat. Matoba was here, as they expected. Here, right now. Holding him in his arms. Natsume could feel his throat dry up like a desert.

The last thing he saw before he passed out completely, was Matoba's shocked face.

* * *

**Minna-san, thank you for still reading!  
I know that I am very late in updating and for that I apologize profusely! I had tests these past few weeks, so I had not any time to write. I am so sorry!**

**But here it is! The start of some MatobaXNatsume for everyone!**


	6. Chapter 5 : Reoccurring dream

Chapter 5 – Reoccurring dream

"_Ne, why are you crying?"_

_Opening his eyes to a crack, the boy could see the bleary shadow of a figure loom over him, a small smile playing on the shadow's lips._

_The figure held out a hand. "Don't cry anymore."_

_The boy shook his head. He was told that he shouldn't trust strangers. And he couldn't tell if the one standing before him was a human or one of those weird things that only he seemed to see._

_The figure before him was not discouraged. "Come on." The voice was soft and encouraging. "I promise I won't hurt you."_

~.~.~.~

His eyelids felt extremely heavy. He couldn't open them an inch even if he wanted to. They were like heavy curtains waiting to be pulled open, but Natsume found it impossible to do so. In addition, his head was like a rock, and it hurt to turn his neck. He could feel a dull ache on his arms, legs and abdomen, but was too tired to care. Sleep was taking over, clouding over his thoughts and memories.

"Are you finally awake?"

Wait, he knew that voice. That was the voice of...

"MATOBA!" Natsume immediately sprung up, eyes popped open, scooting himself backward.

The said man was really there! With his long onyx hair and talisman eyepatch, there sat Matoba Seiji, leader of the Matoba clan. "Someone is energetic." came his deep voice, a smirk playing on his lips.

Natsume was feeling very dizzy. The heaviness he felt from earlier had yet to subside, his head made more dizzy when he abruptly sat up. He clutched the side of his head, his vision already blurring. His throat was as dry as the desert, not allowing any sound to emit from his lips. Natsume tried to swallow some saliva to moisturise his parched throat, but it didn't work in the slightest. Instead, it made him crave for water.

Matoba's smirk was still hanging on his face. Lifting himself off the ground, he came to stand beside Natsume. The sandy-haired boy tried to get away by crawling since his legs were soft as jello, but Matoba caught him by the wrist. "Not so fast, Natsume." He crouched down to Natsume's current height and steadied him, letting his back lean on the trunk of a tree.

Natsume didn't like this one bit. Matoba was treating him like a child when he didn't even want to be treated by him. "Let go of me." His voice came out weaker than he had expected it to, but at least he had a voice. His breaths came out ragged and raspy, puffs of white mist apparent in the chilly mountain air. The older male complied, letting go of Natsume's wrist gently. "As you wish."

Oh, how he wish he had the strength to wipe that smirk off Matoba's face right now! That smirk was fuelling his anger. "Wouldn't you like to know how you got here?" asked the older male. Natsume gave him his best glare through his dizzy haze. "I don't think I'd like to hear it from you, thank you very much." Good, his voice was back which gave him the ability to speak.

Matoba smirked and turned away, walking over to where he sat a few moments ago to gather his bow and arrows. "Well then, young Natsume. I shall leave." He examined his arrows and made his way to the east of the mountain.

The first thought that Natsume had was _"Good, at least he's away from me."_ But then he realized the predicament he was in. Natsume was in the middle of a dark forest with no shelter or food. Add to the fact that he was weak and powerless should any ayakashi come to attack him. The sun was setting soon, and most ayakashi were active during night time.

As much as he hated it, he had no choice. Natsume ground his teeth together and clenched his fists tightly. "Matoba-san, wait!"

At the sound of his name being called, Matoba spun around to face Natsume with a dark eye. "Hmm~ And what do you want, Natsume-kun?"

He really wanted to slap that smirk off. So badly... But like it or not, he needed Matoba right now. If he wanted to survive that is.

"If there is nothing you wish to say to me, then I shall be taking my leave." Matoba made to leave for his destination.

"Help me... please." Ugh, he sounded pathetic.

"And why should I?"

Man, Matoba was not making this easy. Natsume furrowed his brow and tried to come up with a good reason for Matoba to help him, but he couldn't. They had been at each others throats since their first meeting and have always caused trouble for the other. Matoba wanted him to join his clan, but there was no way in heaven or in hell would Natsume become an exorcist. Ayakashis are supposed to be friends, not game for those with spiritual power to hunt on. He opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to find an excuse but ending up with none.

He was at a loss for words. There was no reason at all. Sighing, Matoba walked over to Natsume, shocking the young boy. "Very well. I shall help you." The statement shocked the boy even more as his eyes widened into dinner plates.

Natsume was sure Matoba was up to no good. Why else would the calculating male help him? "Why the change of heart?" he boldly asked.

The other male shrugged nonchalantly. "It would be such a waste if you were to die now, wouldn't it Natsume-kun?"

Said boy glared at him with a fiery gaze but accepted the reason. Matoba was, if anything, a sly person. He might just wanted Natsume to live longer so that he could work in his clan. "What happened to me, anyway?" He looked like he got into a street fight. He had dark bruises over his arms and legs. He took a wild guess that his abdomen was covered with bruises too. He felt weak and powerless, all the energy drained from his body.

"You were poisoned. By an ayakashi." stated Matoba as a matter-of-factly. "It was one which had venom in its tentacles. When it grabbed you, the poison must have seeped into your skin, causing you to faint."

"I fainted?" He couldn't remember much. He did remember an ayakashi grabbing him, calling him his lunch, but what happened after was a big blur.

Matoba inclined his head slightly. "What can I say? You're weak."

Natsume glared at him again. Sure he was weak, but he didn't have to make it sound so blunt.

"Luck sided you, for I came along. The ayakashi I dealt with before extracting the poison from your body." Matoba looked at Natsume from head to toe which made the boy squirm. "It would seem the spell was not entirely effective. There is still some poison left in your body."

Natsume nodded at all Matoba said, not knowing whether to believe him or not. However, the signs of his body told him that Matoba was not lying. He had indeed saved him from the ayakashi and the mere thought of it left an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"We should be going." The sun was just over the mountains, the sky bathed in bright red light. In a few more minutes, night would be upon them. "There is a cave not far from here. We can use it as shelter for the night."

A cave? "Isn't your clan here, Matoba-san?" The little ayakashi mentioned exorcists in black yukatas. And he was pretty sure the Matoba clan wouldn't camp under the stars. They would have some secret house somewhere in the shady parts of the forest or something.

Matoba made a face in what Natsume supposed was a look of confusion. You couldn't tell, since his confused face and mad face looked almost the same. "What would make you think so?"

"That means your clan isn't here?" Then which exorcist clan was it? According to Nyanko-sensei and Natori-san, there were only a handful of clans left, and the only clan they knew of who wore black yukatas was the Matoba clan.

Matoba shook his head, making his long hair swish around. "No, I am here alone." Matoba crouched down once more, back facing Natsume.. "Hurry up."

Natsume was dumbfounded. "And do what?"

"Climb on to my back. It is clear that you are in no condition to walk." stated Matoba like it was the most natural thing for him to do.

"I can walk on my own, thank you." Really, who did he think he is? Matoba was an enemy of Natsume's, not his best friend.

Matoba faced him. "Would you rather walk and waste our time or would you rather let me carry you so we'll be faster?"

He had a point. In his current condition, Natsume would just be deadweight. Even so, Matoba seemed bent on carrying this deadweight with him. "Alright." Natsume had to give in.

"Hold my bow and arrows, Natsume."

Natsume did as he was told and climbed on to Matoba's back, letting the taller male carry him. It was embarrassing, he had to admit. He swung the bow and arrows over his shoulder and hooked his arms around the young man's neck to balance himself.

Even with a teen on his back, Matoba walked at a brisk and even pace. It was as if carrying Natsume was an effortless act. As they trekked through the undergrowth of the thick forest, Natsume found himself getting sleepy. The dizziness from earlier had returned with full force, hitting his head with sleep. Matoba's back was so warm too, the even pace they were going at rocking him further into sleep.

"Rest." said Matoba. His voice vibrated through his back, making Natsume feel the deepness of his voice.

Taking it as permission, Natsume slowly drifted off into the land of dreams.

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**Thank you for reading everyone!**

**I hope that this chapter was no too boring for you. Please don't forget to review and favourite! They motivate me to do better! **


	7. Chapter 6 : Waking up

Chapter 6 – Waking up

"Are you okay?" asked the voice.

The young sandy-haired boy nodded as he was helped to his feet. He felt sore all over. His whole body was in pain after suffering blows from humans and ayakashi alike. Hastily, he tried to wipe the tears from his face, a bit embarrassed that someone else had to see them.

The figure in front of him took out something white. "Here, let me." The figure gently wiped away his tears with the white handkerchief. Natsume closed his eyes and pouted. His body went stiff as he was not used to this type of affection. The figure gently smiled.

The tears stains were still on his cheek, he was sure of that. His cheeks felt sticky from his wet tears and it felt very weird. He tried to move his arms and legs, but they still hurt badly. He had to run away from a very scary ayakashi with sunken eye sockets just now and was beaten by other kids at the park. They called him a liar. But they were the ones who were ignorant.

Sensing his discomfort and pain, the figure took his arm and examined it. Natsume tried to wrench his arm away from the figure. He didn't want to beaten again. But something, maybe it was the look the figure gave him, that made Natsume trust him. When he lightly traced his finger over the blue black marks, Natsume winced from the stinging pain.

"Does it hurt that much?" Natsume nodded. The figure paused. "Close your eyes, please." Natsume wondered why he was asked to do that. As if the figure could read his mind, he spoke up. "Just trust me." Natsume was skeptical. After all, this was coming from a total stranger he just met. He could be taken away, kidnapped. Or he could get raped. But no one would care if he was gone from this world anyway. "Please, trust me." It was just so easy to leave himself in someone else's hands for once.

He shut his eyes tight. As soon as he did, he could feel a soft warmth wash over him, soothing his bruises. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." said the figure. Natsume was shocked at what he saw. His bruises which covered most of his arms and legs, had miraculously disappeared. He gaped at the figure before him. Was he a magician? A powerful wizard like those he had read about in the storybooks at school? The figure put a finger to his upturned lips, clearly bemused at Natsume's expression. "Don't tell anyone, okay?" Too surprised to even think, Natsume just nodded at his every word.

Still smiling, the figure reached out to ruffle Natsume's messy mop of hair. "Cute." he said which made Natsume blush. He had never been called that before. All he had ever been called was a liar, a pitiful child, an omen of bad luck, a piece of trash, someone who should be gone from this world. Being called that for the first time in his life, made him very happy. "Th-Thank you very much, mister..." His voice trailed off as he lost track of what else he wanted to say. How could he convey his thanks to this person through words alone? It did not seem to matter to the figure though.

"Ne, your name is Natsume right?" The little boy widened his eyes. How did he know that? He couldn't possibly know. "I overheard some other kids calling you that."

Natsume cast his eyes downward. "Y-yes, my name is Natsume Takashi."

"Nice to meet you, Natsume-kun." The figure smiled again, encouraging him.

"Y-you're not from around here,... are you mister?" He knew he was being rude. He was being very rude, but he did not wish to see the people beside him get hurt. Those scary ayakashi might be back anytime to get him, so he can't make anyone else suffer. Yes, it was better to be known as a bad child if that meant he could protect others.

The figure shook his head. "I came from Kyoto. I'm just visiting Hamura for some business." The figure was enclosing all this information very casually. Was he not afraid of others knowing about him? "I never would have thought, that I would meet someone as interesting as you, Natsume-kun."

Natsume quickly and violently shook his head. "No! It's better if you're not involved with me, mister!" He retreated a few steps back, wanting to stay away from the figure. "You'll get in big trouble!" He could feel the tears prickling at the edges of his eyes again. His body shook, not with fear, but with effort. It took everything just to stop himself from crying again, because it hurt. It hurt when he had to push others away.

He felt long limbs wrap around his small body and instinctively flinched. "Natsume-kun, it's alright." The figure hugged him tightly. "You don't need to be afraid."

He did not know what to say. "But... you'll get in trouble..." he muttered.

The figure pulled away slightly, his hands on Natsume's frail shoulders. "I'm magic, remember?"

At the same instant, Natsume could not help but smile his brightest smile. This figure was the figure of a stranger. Yet, he was treated so kindly by the other. So much that it made al his insides flutter.

"It's getting late." mentioned the figure. True, the sun was almost setting. The sky was darkening and their shadows on the ground were getting longer. Birds few around, catching their last meal before retiring to their nests. "Climb on, Natsume. I'll carry you home."

Natsume was about to protest wildly, but was stopped by the figure. "We're friends now, right? So you don't need to hesitate." said the figure. "Besides, it's dangerous for you to go home alone."

The young boy wanted to tell the figure that he was used to going home alone, but decided against it. He somehow felt very tired. Silently, he climbed on to the figure's back and wrapped his small arms around a thin neck. It felt so warm and comfortable.

"Sleep if you want to."

~.~.~.~

He heard a rustling sound at first. Something was moving. Opening his eyes, Natsume came face to face with darkness. Everything was a pitch black. When he shoved his hand in front of his face, he could not even see his fingers. Natsume blinked rapidly, making his eyes adjust to the thick darkness.

After a while, he could see much more clearly. He could make out his fingers and the weird shape of the ceiling. He must be in a cave. _That's right! _Sitting up, Natsume scanned the area. Matoba was the one who carried him here to the cave. But while he was being carried, he fell asleep.

Searching in the darkness, his golden eyes darted around like a cat's, frantic. Where could have that exorcist gone? He was not in the small cave at all. Had he left Natsume? That would be logical. In this situation, Natsume was just extra baggage.

Getting on all fours, the sandy-haired youth felt his way around the cave carefully. There had not seemed to be many sharp rocks or slopes. No ayakashi or animals lurked in the darkness either. It was just a normal cave. Crawling, he made his way to the mouth of the cave. As he got closer, he could see the moonlight flow into some dark corners of the cave, bringing forth light. Dust particles from the cave danced in the pale moonlight, dancing to a dance they only knew.

Natsume huffed with effort as he made his way out. His body still felt heavy and tired, but the stuffy air in the cave was going to make him pass out. Clean and fresh air came at him on full blast. The night air was cold and piercing, the trees rustled ominously with the wind. All that was illuminated by the pale moonlight, cold and distant.

"Came out for a breather?"

Natsume almost jumped out of his skin. The new voice scared him as he was too absorbed in the night view.

A low chuckle came from the person. "Didn't know you were such a coward, Natsume-kun." he taunted.

The said boy spun on his heels to face his assailant, wanting to spit back a nasty comment. But he was too entranced.

Sitting on a rock in the moonlight was Matoba. However, he did not look like the same Matoba he always saw. Maybe it was the angle of light that was giving off an illusion, but Matoba's features did not look so apprehensive. He looked kinder. Instead of that cocky smirk, he now wore a cheeky smile on his face. Instead of cold and icy eyes, his eyes had now taken on a playful spark. Was this the Matoba that he knew?

"Cat got your tongue?" asked the exorcist who was standing guard.

Natsume shook his head lightly as he buried his hands in his pockets. "You look different."

The said man cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"

The boy put a hand to his chin as he thought for a few moments. "I don't know how to explain it." He took a few steps closer to the man. "You just look different."

"I see." he said, losing interest. "Should you not be going back to sleep? I'm sure you have not fully recovered yet."

"I intend to." said Natsume.

Matoba could sense his hesitation. "But?"

The youth gave a soft sigh. "There are too many things running through my head right now." He looked up to the distant moon. "Can't fall asleep."

"Well, if you want to stay out here to view the moon," Natsume felt something warm being placed on his shoulders. "then it would be best that you do not catch a cold." He fingered the black haori which belonged to Matoba.

"Ah,... thank you Matoba-san." It was weird for him to be thanking his enemy. It was even weirder that Matoba could be so caring in the first place. "Won't you get cold though?"

The exorcist smirked at Natsume's innocent question. "This kind of wind is nothing." He sat back on the rock and checked his arrows, testing each tip with his finger. "Well, sit." he said.

Obediently, Natsume sat next to him, watching him and his arrows for a while. When he got bored, he turned to look up at the pale moon above them. It was almost surreal how he was sitting with Matoba now, in a deep forest. He would have never have thought this to happen.

He could feel his eyelids closing again. The spell was taking effect on his body, healing him, but making him feel sleepy all the time. Someone's arms wrapped around him and he was pulled to Matoba's lap. "Sleep, Natsume. Rest and be ready for tomorrow." The boy nodded to the words as he fell asleep in an enveloping warmth. A warmth he had not felt since he was a child.

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**Thank you for reading everyone! I hope this chapter has been to your tastes.  
Anyway, please wait for the next chapter too!**


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